Bonds
by Hyuuga Senpai
Summary: The day of her mother's death anniversary had been the most difficult of days for Mai in the last eight years, as it was a reminder to the fact that she was alone in the world; evidence that her parents no longer existed. It is on this day that she discovers that she is not truly alone.
1. Chapter 1

Bonds

Chapter 1: Discoveries

Taniyama Mai was not normal; per standards of regular society anyway. Yes, she was an orphan and lived alone; yes, she had a job as an investigator in a psychic research agency and yes, she was an unusually cheerful person, but that was not what made her 'abnormal'. She was, scientifically put, a 'Medium'; a person who could see and communicate with spirits, so people found it strange when she would stop in the middle of the street and start a conversation with no one, hence her being branded as _weird_.

Mai, on her part, didn't really care. It was who she was and she was proud of it. She loved helping people, even if they were dead, and so didn't care if her reputation was the cost of her good deeds. She was in her last year of high school, had a stable job and had good friends that were like her family. There wasn't much she needed. There were days, though, when even she would feel down, most prominently the day of her mother's death anniversary. It was normal for someone to mourn on death anniversaries but it was different with Mai. Every year, on her mother's death anniversary, Mai would relive memories of her time with her mother, sometimes psychically but mostly emotionally. She would be cooking dinner like she did every other day of the year and suddenly she would see find herself in a similar memory connected with her mother.

The first year after her mother's death Mai had broken down in class. She was looking out the window when she suddenly found herself in a memory:

 _She was looking at her reflection of her much younger self who was crying due to a badly cut hair lock. Suddenly her reflection was wrapped in a pink blanket and two slender arms held her across her shoulders. Her mother's head appeared atop hers and she whispered something that made the little girl stop crying._

Mai had snapped out of her trance by her teacher calling her. When she had come to, she found everyone staring at her; she had been crying. Her friends, Michiru and Keiko, who were aware of the day's significance to Mai, quickly and quietly explained to the teacher the problem and took Mai to the nurse's office, where she spent the remainder of the day. After school had been over, Keiko took Mai to her house where Keiko's mother comforted her and held her until she fell asleep.

The second year, while not being any worse than the first, was not any better either. It had been a weekend and Mai was helping out her teacher who she lived with, with some gardening when the memories started. Although it wasn't as severe as the previous year, the frequency had increased. Her teacher had advised Mai to then stay at home at every October the 25th to avoid any accidents in her uncontrolled emotional state. Mai had done just that.

She would take the day off from school and any jobs that she might have. However, when she started working for SPR, it became difficult to get a single day off with Naru's (her boss who was known as Shibuya Kazuya in Japan but was actually the ever famous Oliver Davis) work ethic. So, she started taking lesser and lesser leaves in the preceding months to October and started working extra hard in the month of October to persuade her boss to get that one day off. She could tell him the reason, but she didn't want pity and more than that she didn't want to burden anyone with her troubles.

Now at the age of eighteen, eight years after her mother's death, Mai found herself going to work on the 25th of October. She had taken a sick leave in the beginning of the month so a day off in the middle of the week was out of the question. She couldn't call in sick again because no matter how bad her emotional state became, she was almost back to normal the next day, and besides she wasn't for much lying. So trying her hardest to distract her brain she crossed the road and headed towards the SPR office.

As she took a turn she caught sight of a music store with a shiny blue electric guitar in the display window. She smiled slightly as she was reminded of Bou-san, a part time monk who worked with her on cases and a musician. It had been a year and a half since Naru had come back from England after burying his brother and since then everyone had begin to change. Bou-san had started a music shop where he would give lessons on playing the guitar and base. He had also started dating Ayako. Ayako, on the other hand, had given up on her self-styled miko title and focused on working in her parent's hospital, therefore she came to fewer cases, with the main target being to spend more time with Bou-san but her clinical skills were always helpful when someone was injured and she still could use the tree spirits when needed. Though she was happy in her relationship with Bou-san, her parents were disappointed in her choice in men which led to frequent arguments between them.

Masako had not changed much. She was still a spoilt rich girl who was Mai's rival for Oliver's affections but she had accepted Mai as a rival and as a friend so despite their numerous arguments, Mai and her still hung out and spent time together. John was another one who hadn't changed much. He was still the same helpful, kind hearted priest. He had, however, grown his hair slightly, had gotten glasses and had improved his accent, making him sound and look much more mature than when Mai first met him. He spent most of his time in Japan, helping out in churches or helping the team but, every once in a while, he would go to Australia for training, guidance or to visit his family. If Mai had a problem, John was who she went to, apart from Yasu.

Yasu, despite being a second year in university, was still as playfull and mischievous as he had been upon his first meeting with Mai. He had, however, developed a serious side to him which he showed whenever his friends needed help. His intelligence had helped Mai quite a lot in some tough situations due to which they had formed a very close brother-sister bond, much like the rest of the irregular males of SPR.

The people who had probably changed the most were Naru, Lin and Mai herself. Lin had changed from an unsociable, cold and isolated man to a much more approachable person, to Mai at least . He still maintained his distance from the rest of the members but after his confrontation with Mai at the Urado case, he did not glare as much at the team. With Mai, he talked to her more, be it only small things like how to setup some of the more difficult equipment, but he did and that made Mai very happy; she felt she was becoming, if not a friend, a reliable colleague to him.

Naru had changed too. He was easier to talk to because despite his biting remarks, there was a slightly lighter mood to his tone, which took away the harshness of his words. He would discuss the cases more with the team, which mostly consisted of explaining Mai different aspects of the paranormal. He was still his usual arrogant self though, and his narcissism had not decreased in the slightest. He still annoyed Mai, though it was turning into light banter fast, which Bou-san insisted was there special type of flirting, and they still argued, something which was a constant in the equation that was them.

There were some times though, that Mai would feel Naru's gaze on her but every time she would look at him he'd be reading his black notebook or some case file and it caused her to wonder that if some of the change in Naru was due to the change in her. When he had left, she was faced with reality that she could not always rely on someone. If she wanted to get somewhere in life, she would have to stand on her own two feet. She had always known that but in the haze of working with SPR, she had been ignorant and had let it slip from her mind. So, she had become more serious about her studies, catching up with notes and lectures missed during cases and although she had kept her cheery personality, she had become more observant of people in things around her and had matured quite a lot.

Everyone had changed individually but the biggest change was in the dynamics between Naru and Mai. When Naru had left, Mai had confessed and had been rejected in a very strange way; Naru had asked her whether she liked him or his _dead_ twin brother. Mai was confused, she did not know that the man she was seeing in her dreams was Naru's brother. While he was gone, since she was unable to answer him, she thought over her feelings, what she knew and what she should do about it. It took her week to gather her courage to talk to Naru about this issue after he came back.

A smile made its way to Mai's lips as she made her way through the crowded streets; it was one of her favourite memories, that confrontation. She had entered his office with his afternoon tea but instead of leaving after waiting for his non-existing thank you, she had sat down in the office chair facing him. He had looked up, an eyebrow raised in silent question; _'What do you want?'_

Mai had taken a deep breath before beginning, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry about what happened before you left. I am not sorry that I confessed to you but I am sorry that I did it at the wrong time. Your identity was revealed and you had almost found your brother's body and I put you on the spot like that."

When she had noticed that Naru had opened his mouth to speak she had motioned for him to stop and had said, "Please let me finish. I want to do this right." When she had been satisfied by his nod, indicating that he won't interrupt, Mai continued. " I didn't know that it was...Eugene... in my dreams. I didn't even _know_ that you had a brother so all that time I thought it was you. When I first saw him in my dream, I thought it was some sort of attraction to you which caused me to dream about you. However, when I couldn't find the answer to your question, I realised I barely knew you and yet I had feelings for you. I couldn't differentiate between you and your brother because I didn't know you. If I truly knew you then I would have been able to tell you apart; you are different from him. It was after you left that I really thought over it and noticed the differences.

So, I want to start over. I want to be your friend, if you will let me. I want to know you as who you are. I want to meet the real Oliver Davis that remains unseen under those layers of narcissism you craft around yourself. I have glimpsed it but someday I would like to see, if possible. So...'' Here Mai had stood up, stuck out her right hand and said in her brightest voice," I'm Taniyama Mai, nice to meet you!"

Naru had stared at her for a moment before he had stood up as well and shook her hand. Mai could have had sworn that she saw a small smile form on his lips before he said, "Oliver Davis, I look forward to working with you."

The present day Mai was brought out of her musings when she realised she had reached the office building. She sighed in relief; she hadn't had any memory attacks on the way there. She climbed up the steps to the office quickly and found the SPR door. She paused briefly, fingering the painted letters of SPR, before pushing open the door. A bell jingled, signalling the occupants of the office of someone's arrival as Mai walked in but, instead of finding the usual sitting lounge, Mai found herself standing on an old, wooden front porch.

 _She was staring at a periwinkle blue, glass wind chime. It was hung way above her and no matter how hard she stretched her arms to reach for it, her little fingers wouldn't reach. She heard a tinkling laugh from behind her, it was so much more beautiful than the sound of the wind chime, and felt arms wrap around her middle before she was lifted off the ground. She turned around, as much as she could, and found herself looking at her mother with her twinkling black eyes, thin, pale face which was framed by a curtain of black hair with red streaks here and there and beautiful, pink lips. Her mother carried her towards the wind chime, allowing her to touch it. Mai leaned forwards, her fingers brushing the cool glass chimes. She giggled._

Mai pinched herself hard to snap herself out of the memory. She quickly dried her tears against the back of her hand and blinked rapidly to adjust to the light. When the office was in focus, she set her bag down at her desk, called out a greeting to the other occupants to let them know that she had arrived and that tea would be ready in a bit, and hurried into the kitchen. She quickly took out the cups from the cabinet and filled the teapot on the stove with water. She turned the knob of the cooking range and started the fire, putting the filled kettle above it. As she turned towards the cupboards with the teabags, she was pulled into another memory. 'Not again.'

 _"Mama?"_

 _"Yes, Mai."_

 _"Will you teach me how to make tea?"_

 _"Of course sweetie. There are so many different types of teas and so many different ways to make them. It will be so much fun."_

 _"Can we drink tea with Papa?"_

 _There was a silence._

 _"You know Papa can't sweetie. He's busy and won't be back anymore."_

 _"Mmhmm."_

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _"Mama what if I'm not good at making tea? Is that okay?"_

 _"That's okay sweetie. That is why you have mama to make the tea. I will always make the tea for you..."_

The shrill sound of the whistling kettle broke the trance and Mai found herself staring at the tear drops on the ground as she had crouched down on it, head between her knees. She took in three deep breaths before trying to stand up. Her vision swam and her legs were not responding so she collapsed back down. It was a few minutes later that she heard the door to both offices open.

"Mai, what are you doing?"

Mai looked up from her crouched position on the floor to find Naru standing in the doorway to the kitchen. Lin was behind him, looking from above Naru's head. Naru stepped into the kitchen, clearing the doorway for Lin to proceed to the stove and switch the gas off, silencing the shrieking kettle. Lin set the folder he was carrying on the nearby kitchen counter and took a glass out of the cupboard and filled it with water.

A hand appeared in front of Mai. Looking up she saw Naru standing beside her."Do you want to stay down there?"

Mai took his hand and pulled herself up. As she got on her feet properly, without Naru's aid, the world swam around her so she reached for the counter for support. In her dizziness (and clumsiness), she accidentally knocked off the folder Lin had put on the counter, spilling its contents. When she got her bearings, she turned around and apologised profusely to a silent Lin. Lin just sighed and shook his head. Naru stood back to allow Mai to help Lin pick up the mess; he made sure that the work was done, _doing_ the work was everyone else's job. Mai sat down again and helped gather the stack of papers. As she handed them to Lin, a picture fell out and to the floor. Mai picked it up and froze.

Staring up at her was the smiling face of a _very_ familiar woman, with twinkling black eyes and long black hair. She was holding a parasol on her shoulder and smiling at the camera, the glimmering gold pendant around her neck only further accentuating her beauty. Mai felt her throat constrict and for a moment she couldn't breathe. Her eyes started to sting and her vision began to blur as the tears built up. She looked up to see Lin and Naru watching her. She stood up slowly, ignoring Lin's outstretched hand for the picture, and said, " Why do you have a picture of my mother, Lin-san?"

 **Author's note** **:**

 **Hello people. This is my first official fanfic and I would really appreciate your reviews and comments.**

 **I already have the second chapter typed up so if you are interested let me know and I will post it as soon as possible.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Explanations

There was an awkward silence in which Mai stared at Lin while Naru looked at the picture in her hand. He then looked back up at Mai and then at Lin. " Who is that, Lin?"

" I believe Taniyama-san is mistaken," Lin began after a sigh. "That is my sister."

" I am not mistaken!" Mai began hotly. Normally, she wouldn't have raised her voice but under the current circumstances, she didn't really care. " I know my mother when I see her and that is my mom!"

"Mai, I would prefer it if you did not shout. We are all standing here, not across the lounge outside." Naru said calmly. Turning to Lin he asked, " Is she alive?"

Lin's eyes hardened as he answered, " She went missing about 20 years ago. I believe she died, under the circumstances in which it had happened."

Naru turned to Mai, "Are you sure you are not-"

Mai was having none of it. She knew her mother, she knew what she looked like and even though she was attacked by memories on this particular day, she was not hallucinating. So she reached into the neckline of her shirt and took out her mother's pendant that she wore all the time; a pendant that looked exactly like the one in the picture, and showed it to Naru, cutting across his sentence.

"Look! This is my mother's pendant and it's the same as the one she's wearing in the picture."

Naru stared at it before looking at Lin who had gone quite pale and unnaturally still. The look in his eyes was unreadable as he stared at the pendant hanging from Mai's hand. When no one said or did anything Naru turned to Mai.

"When did your mother...pass, Mai?"

"She...died eight years ago, on the 25th of October."

Naru crossed his arms across his chest and thought over what he had learnt. His employees had, apparently, lost the ability to think as they stood there in silence, unmoving. After a long pause Naru asked Lin, " What happened to your sister?"

Lin started as if he was snapped out of a trance. He blinked a few times, processing the question before deciding to answer. " We should sit down if we want to continue."

So, they made their way to the sitting lounge, with Naru sitting in his usual place when he met clients and Mai and Lin sitting on either side of the long couch, facing him. There was brief pause before Lin started, eyeing the picture Mai still held in one hand and the pendant tightly clutched in the other.

"My sister, Lin Rinne, was taken from our village, when it was attacked by Japanese soldiers. I was fifteen at that time, she, eighteen. My family fell apart that night. My mother became terminally ill and my father, depressed. My sister was the centre of our family and without her, my parents lost their will to live. After they passed I left the village in search for her but after a year of no answers I presumed the worse and left my country." Here he stopped and turned to Mai, "May I please see that pendant?"

Mai hesitated before handing it over . Lin took it and gently ran his fingers over it. He then turned it over and felt the edges of the pendant. He stopped at one point and his eyes grew wide. He then closed his eyes and took in three deep breaths. When he spoke, his eyes were still closed and his voice was raspy as if he was choking on something, " Taniyama-san, can you tell me about your mother?"

Mai looked to Naru, who nodded to give his go-ahead. She cleared her throat and began, hoping she wouldn't have another memory attack soon.

"My mother's name was Rin, Taniyama Rin. I don't know anything about her family because I never met them. My mother did not like talking about her past so she wouldn't tell me anything but I did know that she was from China. However, after her death I found and read her diary. My mother had amnesia. She couldn't remember who she was and where she was from. She only knew her name."

"Her first entry told me that her first real memory was finding herself in a wagon, in an unfamiliar forest. She had been scared out of her wits and had only one logical thought in her mind; to escape. Once she had, she collapsed in a village where she was found by my father. My father owned an inn that he managed with my grandfather, so he took my mom in and gave her shelter. When she came to, he helped her try to remember who she was, so he could take her back to her family but was unsuccessful."

"After months of trying my mother gave up and asked if she could stay with my father; she didn't know anyone else. He and grandpa agreed and they got married a while after that. My grandfather then fell ill and as a dying wish wanted to move back to Japan; he had stayed in China long enough. So, they came here and I was born. My grandpa died shortly after and my dad was killed in an accident. My mom and I moved to Shibuya so that mom could find work. She became ill and passed away eight years ago, the rest is not very relevant."

There was a deafening silence after Mai finished. The pieces fit perfectly and pointed to one thing, which no one had the courage to acknowledge. Naru was looking from one employee to the other, expecting a reaction. Mai was looking down at her knees amidst glancing at Lin, who still had his eyes closed. It felt like hours before someone finally spoke.

"When my sister turned seventeen, I made this pendant for her. The scratches on the side are an inscription; it's her name in Chinese." It was Lin who spoke but his voice sounded hoarse and broken and was barely above a whisper. He finally opened his eyes and turned to look at Mai and Mai was startled by the amount of emotion in them. " I believed that I was now alone in the world but here I am, looking at my sister's flesh and blood. She had lived. She had lived and married and had a daughter."

He slowly reached out and gently took Mai's hand. Mai could barely keep her tears at bay but when his hand closed around hers, the dam broke. She cried openly, uncaring that Naru was watching her, uncaring that she probably looked like a little girl at that moment. She held on to Lin's hand and let out the loneliness that had built up in her heart. Her tiny frame shook with the force of her emotions and the tears were endless. And in that moment, both men realised that they were not the only ones that wore facades. She did too, but hers was so polite, so cheerful that no one could see through it. But in that instant they saw Mai, openly expressing her hidden emotions, her walls broken, her windows unbarred. They could see the pain she had endured in her life alone, feel it in their bones.

Naru got up and went into the kitchen; the clinking of china could be heard briefly, while Lin placed an arm around the sobbing girl and held her. He couldn't believe that he still had a living family in this world, someone who shared his blood line, _his niece_. The magnitude of that realisation hit him, that and the fact his sister had lived, and he felt his facade crumble. He hugged Mai and buried his face in her brown hair; he hadn't cried in a _very_ long time. When he was able to reel in his emotions, he let go of Mai, who was sobbing quietly, and patted her head. She looked up at him through puffy, red eyes and managed a small smile, before wiping away her tears.

Naru re-entered the lounge with some tea and placed it on the low table in front of his two employees. He cleared his throat before saying, " I think that it would be best if you had a DNA test done. The evidence all points to you two being related but it will help the both of you in the future if you had more solid proof about your relation. I am giving the both of you this day off to do so and figure out what you will do onwards from this point on. I will see you tomorrow, back at the office." He then looked specifically at Mai and said, " Don't be late." With that he retreated into his office, closing the door behind him.

Mai and Lin sat in silence as they drank their tea. After they were done Lin asked her, " Why were you sitting on the kitchen floor?"

Mai leaned back into the sofa and sighed. "I haven't told this to anyone so it will be a bit hard to explain."

Lin continued to look at her, waiting for an explanation.

"Today is mom's death anniversary. Every year, today, after the year of mom's death I have these...fits...in which I see memories of my time with her. These 'memory attacks' are sort of like visions; they come unexpectedly and are quite hard to pull out from. I think they have something to do with my psychic abilities coupled with my emotional attachment to this day."

Lin thought over what she had said then said, " Why haven't you told anyone?"

Mai looked away. "I didn't want to trouble any one with my problems and I don't want people to pity me. Besides, these visions stop by the next day so it's not like I am ill or anything."

There was a silence in which Mai felt as if Lin was waiting for further explaining; like he knew that she had withheld one of her main reasons. When the silence stretched too long, Mai spilt the beans. " Alright, alright, I will tell you. I didn't have many people to whom I could tell this to and not be called a freak... not everyone has to watch their loved ones die almost every single year."

The silence following this revelation was much more heavy and tense. Mai suddenly got the feeling that she had done something wrong. Lin had bowed his head so that his fringe cast a shadow over his eyes. "I'm sorry, Taniya- Mai."

Mai looked at him, surprised at the use of her first name and confused. " Why are you apologising, Lin-san?"

" I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you. I'm sorry that I didn't find you earlier." His voice was once again very quiet, and as he turned to look at her, Mai was once again startled by the amount of emotions in his eyes. " I should have realised you were my niece, Rinne's daughter. If I had researched properly-"

" It's not your fault. It's no one's fault. Don't blame yourself for something that wasn't your fault, Lin-san. Mama used to say that 'We all make mistakes. We all have regrets but we can't change the past. What we _can_ do is to learn from our mistakes and not do them again, to live without regrets and look ahead and walk on, trying to make ourselves better than what we were yesterday.'" Mai reached for Lin's hand and held it in both of hers. " I am okay now and I will try to smile brighter tomorrow, so please, don't blame yourself and smile with me as well."

Lin gazed at Mai with amazement and gratitude. Then his lips broke into a very small smile. Seeing this, Mai's own smile grew; it was a start.

" So do you want to go get that DNA test thingy done?"

 **Author's Note: Thank you every one for your reviews. Here is another chapter which I hope you enjoy. The cases won't start for a while but rest assured there will be cases and a whole lot of other situations.**

 **Another thing, I want to thank** **Neo Eodieseo Watneunj for helping with checking over this story for me.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Decisions

Mai sipped her cold coffee as she watched the sky turn orange. They, Lin and her, were currently at a restaurant having an early supper, late lunch. They had gone to a lab and requested a DNA test and now had three hours to kill until they got the result. Mai had a lot of questions going through her head, mostly on what will happen from that point on. Would there be any change in her life? It was great to find a living relative who was someone she already knew, but what did it mean now?

As if reading her thoughts Lin spoke up, " I have been thinking and I would like to ask you if it would be okay with you if I became your legal guardian? You can claim independence as a minor if you would like, but I want to take responsibility and do my job as your uncle."

Mai smiled. " I've been thinking about what would happen now ever since we went to the lab. I don't mind. I would be really happy having a legal guardian."

Lin nodded and the two lapsed into silence once again. After a bit, Mai got the feeling that Lin wanted to say something but was struggling to get it out. So, she took the initiative, " Is there something wrong, Lin-san?"

Lin's reply came after a short pause. " I would prefer it if you would live closer to me. It would allow me to watch over you and help you whenever you need something. You don't have to if you don't want to but I would truly like to keep my family close to me. I do not want to lose it again."

Mai took her time to answer. " I wouldn't mind, if it's okay with you, of course, but I don't think I can afford to live in the area that you do, Lin-san.

Lin shook his head. " All your financial matters will be handled by me now, you do not have to worry about your living expenses, Mai. When all the paperwork for the guardianship is done I will talk to your school so that I can pay for your tuition fees as well."

Mai took in this piece of information. " Then what about my job?"

"You can continue to work if you want to. The money you earn, you can spend it as you please."

Mai wrapped her hands around the cold glass of her drink. She felt the chill from it numb her fingers slightly. " Thank you," she whispered, " I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything," Lin said gently.

" So, do you have a place in mind?" Mai asked as she took a sip of her drink.

" You can live with me. If that is uncomfortable, the apartment next to mine is empty."

Mai though over this before she smiled. " It would be nice not coming back to an empty house, for once."

It was for a moment, but she knew she had seen Lin smile. The confirmation came when he reached across the table and took her small, cold hand in his large, warm one.

In that instance, inspiration hit and Mai let go of Lin's hand and dove into her bag for her notebook and pencil. Ever since the start of her third year in high school, she had been exceedingly interested in art. She had always found it a fun and expressive hobby but it wasn't until last year that she had started taking it more seriously.

After she found her notebook, she said to Lin, " Don't move okay?". Lin, who was confused by her sudden behaviour, just nodded and sat back in his chair. Five minutes later, after watching her mover her pencil across the paper did Lin ask what she was doing.

Mai looked up, smiling sheepishly. " Sorry, I just wanted to capture the moment so..." She turned the notebook around to face Lin and placed it on the table, in front of him. " I hope you don't mind. It's not that good, but I've been practicing."

She had drawn a portrait of him. It lacked some details but it was immensely precise and Lin found himself impressed. "You are into art. I never knew. May I look at your other works?"

Mai rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment but nodded her head. "Yeah, but don't laugh."

Lin turned to the beginning of the book. The first picture was of a house that he recognised to be of an old client they had worked for last year.

" I thought the house was worth drawing. The ghosts there were not nice, but the architecture was beautiful." Mai supplied.

The next picture was of Naru reading his notebook. He had a frown on his face, and Lin couldn't help the grin on his face from forming when he read the title of the sketch; 'Eternal Frown'. The pictures after that were of the rest of the team talking, laughing and one of Bou-san and Ayako arguing. She had captured the emotions very well and her strokes were very neat and detailed.

"Your picture isn't that detailed because I didn't have time to put them in."

Lin continued looking through the sketches which consisted of a range of various everyday items to places she had seen and had thought were worth capturing. He finally stopped at a picture of him working on his laptop. It was entitled 'The Mysterious Lin-san'. He raised an eyebrow at this and she blushed in embarrassment. " Well, you are very mysterious, Lin-san."

Lin shook his head. " These are wonderful, Mai. I know people back in England who would pay quite a lot to get a sketch done."

The mention of England brought a new question to Mai's mind. "Umm, Lin-san, are you and Naru going to go back soon?"

Lin looked at the concealed worry on her face and shook his head. " Not for a while, no, but if we do you can come with us. I'll put in a request for your passport to be made soon. It should be done within a week. If you don't want to come, I would understand but I would prefer it if you stayed with me. Nonetheless, you should still have a passport, in case of any emergency."

Mai smiled; for one of the worst days of the year, she had been doing that a lot today. " I would like that. I've never been outside of Japan."

There was a pause before Mai remembered something. " Mama used to have these dreams where she would be helping a boy cut wood or help him feed animals. In her diary, she wrote that they were too real to be just dreams, and every time she would wake up from them, she would remember something about herself. Although the dreams were vague, she did remember a black pendant that she saw on the boy. Do you think that's related to you somehow?"

Lin's smile was melancholic. " I think so. I used to do a lot of the housework with my sister. My father was a farmer so he needed all the help he could get. As for the pendant, I had a similar one to your mother; I made a pair, to connect us. Mine is at home right now."

They lapsed into a thoughtful silence. Lin finished his sandwich while Mai ate her fries. When they were done and had paid the bill, which Lin insisted that he do, did the conversation go back to their decisions.

" Tomorrow you should start packing your things, so you can move in. I will have the spare room prepared."

Mai ran her hand through her mid-back length hair." I don't really know where I can get boxes and stuff."

"Don't worry, we have some spare ones in the store room in the office. We can use the van for moving your things."

They gathered their belongings and headed to the car park where Lin's black Corolla was parked. The sky had turned a striking orange-gold and the city had taken on a amber hue. It was when she saw a flower stall at the end of the street, while opening the car door, that Mai had an idea. "Lin-san, would you like to go see mom? She's buried here in the Shibuya Cemetery."

Lin, who was putting his coat in the back of the car, paused. He then stood up and faced her. "Yes."

So, after purchasing a rose bouquet each, they drove to Shibuya Cemetery. They parked near the entrance as the parking lot was nearly empty, and made their way to the gates in silence. Just before entering Mai stopped. Lin, noticing her pause, stopped and turned around to look at her. "Is there something wrong?"

Mai shook her head. "It's just that, it's becoming increasingly easy to sense all the spirits in there. It gets very crowded."

Lin's eyes narrowed slightly. "It seems your latent psychic powers are coming out of their dormancy."

"Is that possible?"

" Your mother was a very strong psychic. Knowing this, it should no longer be a surprise that you have psychic powers as well. However, since you were not aware of you powers and had avoided exposure to the paranormal throughout your early life, it may be that your powers went into dormancy. Now that you have been working with SPR , your powers are awakening."

It took a while for Mai to comprehend this. " Can that be... dangerous?"

"If accelerated by force and pushed to the limits, your powers can, yes, harm you, but you have me and I will teach you to control them. Just as your mother did with me." Mai smiled hearing the last bit.

"Mom taught you?" She asked in awe.

"She helped me with the bits I did not understand. Now, shall we?"

Mai nodded and continued on into the cemetery, Lin by her side. They walked towards the central fountain before taking a right. When they were almost to the edge of the cemetery, Mai stopped again. Lin looked at her, about to ask what was wrong again, when he noticed her eyes were glazed over. He at once grabbed her shoulders and shook her. Her eyes cleared, although they were slightly teary, and she blinked.

" You either were possessed or were having a 'memory attack', as you call it."

Mai nodded, " The latter. It was about when she taught me how to ride a bike. I think the scenery here triggered it."

Lin squeezed her shoulders gently in a comforting gesture before releasing her. " How much further?"

Mai looked around and pointed to the last row of headstones. " Along that row."

They resumed their walk, the silence between them intensifying. When they finally reached the edge of the last row, Lin didn't have to look at the headstone to know who was there. He could feel his sister's presence; her essence was emanating from the ground. Seeing the name inscribed on the headstone was the last straw. He felt his knees collapse under him, his hands limp by his sides; the roses fell beside him. He felt as if the world had been muted. His eyes stung and he thought his lungs were constricting.

He had mourned Rinne's passing once, without ever knowing if she had died or not. Now, he had proof that his beloved sister had passed and would never see him again in this world. She wouldn't scold him for being unsociable; she wouldn't laugh at his wit; won't tease him about his hair; won't fight off the world for making fun of his bichromatic eyes. She was gone. He was alone...

The last thought had barely formed when a small hand grasped his and squeezed it. He looked beside him to see a tearful Mai clutching his hand like a lifeline. No, he was not alone. _They_ were not alone. Without further thought, he pulled the petite girl into a hug and cried, twice in one day. And Mai cried with him, clutching on to his shirt and sobbing onto his shoulder. They both had experienced loss early in life and grew up more than they had to at that age. They had faced difficulties but still hung on and were now awarded with a home, a family.

When they both calmed down, Mai pulled away from Lin and sat on the ground beside him, crossing her legs. She placed her bouquet of roses on her mother's grave and stared at the headstone.

 _In the loving memory of:_

 _Taniyama Rin_

 _'I will be there, even when I'm not'_

"She used to say that a lot," Mai said, pointing to the last of the inscription," Mostly in Chinese though. She would sing it to me when I would have nightmares."

Lin cleared his throat but only nodded his head; formulating words was too difficult a task at that moment. He then gently placed his bouquet next to Mai's and sat down beside her. Mai spoke first.

"Hi mom. I know I said last night that I wouldn't be able to come in the day today but I've brought someone who you knew once. Remember the boy you used to dream about? Well, he's here, beside me and he's your brother. I have an uncle... I have someone to take care of me now so you can now rest in peace okay? " Her voice was soft and gentle, as if she was talking to a child. When she was finished, Mai moved back a bit and looked at Lin.

Lin cleared his throat again before speaking." _Nin Hao_ , Rinne _jiejie,_ it's been a while. It hurts me to know that all those years you were alive, and I never knew, but I am happy to know that you lived a good life." A breeze blew past the two, blowing fallen, brown leaves towards them. "There is so much I want to tell you; things that I've learnt, places I've been and people I've met, and I want to know all about you too. I wish I could have protected you. I wish I had been strong enough." Here Lin turned around and held out his hand for Mai; she took it without hesitation, "But I haven't lost everything, and I will make sure that this time I will protect her and be there for her. This, I promise you."

 **Author's Note: I don't own Ghost Hunt.**

 **Thank you all for reading and reviewing. I know I am updating rapidly but don't get used to it; I had the first four chapters typed up before I started publishing. I am working on the fifth one but just a little heads up: this is going to be a long fanfic.**

 **Thank you again people.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Connecting

Mai searched her pant pockets for her house keys. After the visit to the cemetery they still had an hour left before the DNA test result would be available, so Mai had invited Lin over for tea. She found the little bunch of keys and inserted the right one into the keyhole and unlocked it. Before going in she paused slightly. " It's kind of small and messy so please excuse me."

Lin nodded and followed her in. They slipped off their shoes as Mai said the traditional 'Tadaima', while Lin looked around the room. It was a traditional single person room, slightly larger than normal. There was a narrow hallway leading from the main door to the main room, with a kitchenette to one side. The room was spacious and neatly kept with a single bed to one side along with a bedside table and box TV on the other accompanied by a bookshelf. There was a window facing the doorway with a large closet next to it and next to the doorway was the bathroom. There were a few books open on the low table in the centre of the room, along with some lose sheets of paper, otherwise the room was tidy; Mai clearly didn't know what the word messy meant.

Mai quickly closed the books and cleared the table. She then took off her jacket and hung it on a stand by the bathroom door. When she turned to her guest she found he was not in the room. Going towards the main door, she found him staring at the pictures hung on the wall facing the kitchenette. "That's my favourite one." Mai pointed to the current picture Lin was looking at; it was of her parents on their wedding day.

"She looks happy." Lin commented, his finger tracing over his sister's face. Mai nodded.

Lin then looked at Mai's father and then at Mai. "You look like your father."

"Mmhmm," Mai said as she leant against the wall, "So much so that my mom used to call me 'Daddy's girl' all the time."

Lin's gaze shifted back to the picture and then to her again. " You are like your mother as well. You are brave, like her, strong, like her, helpful, like her, caring, like her and selfless, like her. You are as beautiful as your mother, Mai."

Mai's eyes widened at the compliment and she blushed; she had never been complimented as such. She rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment and was going to say 'thank you' when Lin resumed speaking. "Of course, you have her clumsiness as well along with her stubbornness."

Mai's eyes snapped to Lin to find him staring at her with his usual, stern expression but then she saw it; the unfamiliar glint of amusement in his eyes and she burst out laughing. He chuckled quietly and inwardly sighed in relief that she had been able to tell that he had been teasing her. He could not comprehend it, but for some reason he had always found it difficult to maintain his cold exterior around her. He had had to keep an extra check on himself that he not smile at her when she said thank you or laugh when she argued with Naru or had fun with the team. She had begun to break his walls towards the end of his last stay in Japan and over the last year she had demolished them completely. The only difference was that she herself didn't know that she had done so. He had felt troubled at this initially but when she was oblivious to this fact, he had relaxed; no one had to know that she had cured his hatred. But now, he _wanted_ her to know who he was, so that she trust him, and it was strange; he himself had only begun to realise this new goal and he already felt so close to her, so connected. He realised that he'd be lying if he said that he had never been protective of the girl, as a friend of course. It was as if the newfound bond between them was not only linking them by their blood but connecting them to themselves as well. He hadn't joked with anyone, apart from a select few friends via email and Naru, in a very long time.

Mai noticed Lin's unfocused gaze and took her time to compare him to Rinne. When Lin snapped out of his thoughts Mai was smiling triumphantly. "Your nose looks like Okaa-san's."

Lin raised an amused eyebrow and looked at the picture. "Yes, it seems it does."

Mai giggled lightly before turning to the kitchenette and started preparing tea." Please have a seat. The tea will be ready in a bit". Lin watched her for a moment before going into the room and sitting down at the table. Mai rummaged in her cupboards and found a pack of biscuits to serve while the water boiled. When the tea was ready she set the cups down on a tray and brought it, and the snacks, over to Lin.

They drank the tea in silence before Mai asked, "How big is your place Lin-san?"

Lin finished chewing his biscuit before he replied, "It's a two bedroom apartment so I believe it will be big enough for the both of us."

"Are you sure about this Lin-san? I mean I know we are related and everything but won't I be invading your personal space and stuff?"

" I wouldn't have asked you if I wasn't sure, Mai." He paused as if considering something. " I would like to apologise, I have been using your first name without permission all day today."

Mai's eyes widened at this. "Oh, yeah, finally. Everyone else uses my first name, you're the only one who doesn't- no, didn't. It used to feel really... stuffy being called by my family name and, not to mention, my surname is really long as well. So don't apologise... " It dawned on her that she didn't have to be so formal anymore. "Can I call _you_ just Lin or umm..."

Lin noted her hesitation. "Asking won't hurt you."

"Can I call you uncle or something similar?

Lin considered this. " I wouldn't mind shūshu, it's Chinese for uncle."

Mai positively beamed. "Well then shūshu, please take care of me!"Lin smiled. He could feel her excitement and happiness just by looking at her and it made him happy.

Mai suddenly remembered something and got up from the ground. She made her way to her bed and reached for her pillow when she was overwhelmed by an immense sadness and her surroundings changed; she had been pulled into another memory. Lin noticed her stillness and approached her quietly. He sat on the bed and guided her into sitting next to him. When that didn't stop the trance, he tried shaking her like he had last time. When Mai didn't wake up but started crying silently, he knew that this particular vision was the one that affected her the most and it wasn't hard to guess that it was the last memory she had of her mother. So he held her hand and waited for it to pass; he would be there when she woke up.

 _She was staring at the pale face of her mother, who was breathing slowly, as if that simple act was costing her all her strength._

 _"Mama?"_

 _Rinne's tired eyes opened to see her only daughter staring at her with tearful eyes. She lifted a pale hand up and cupped her cheek. "Don't cry baby girl or you'll make mama cry too. Mama is so, so sorry because she won't be there for you anymore. Can you please forgive mama." Mai could see the tears run down her mom's thin, exhausted face; she had hung on to life with all her strength until there was nothing left._

 _Mai's tears fell freely but she held her sobs in. "Shhh... Don't speak, you need to rest. Save your energy and get better. Okay, mom? Get better and come home... but if you can't then," Mai held on the her mother's hand with both of her own, " Say hi to papa for me and don't worry about me. I'm a strong girl, I will look after myself , alright? So just relax and ...smile." The last of that sentence cost her all her courage and strength to not break down._

 _"Take care of yourself okay? Don't ever lie; it's not good for you and always believe in yourself. You are very special Mai, and I am proud of...you..."_

 _Her mother's voice began to fade and Mai drastically squeezed her mom's hand. " Mama?... Mama? No, not yet, you can't go yet!" Her voice was rising in panic as Rinne's breathing stopped and her eyes closed. She didn't dare leave her mother's hand until a nurse pulled her away and the doctor's began reviving Rinne. The tears wouldn't stop; the pain in her chest wouldn't go away; her heart wouldn't stop hurting and it all grew until she finally broke down and let her grief consume her._

Mai snapped out of the memory to find herself caged in between strong arms. The scent of pinewood overwhelmed her and she couldn't understand where she was. Then from somewhere above her a voice spoke. "Shh... Mai I am right here with you."

It all came back to her and once again the tears came, renewed in their strength and all she could do was hold on to her shūshu and let the emotional torrent pass. So many years she had relived that scene and cried herself to exhaustion but now surrounded by his warmth, she felt consoled and comforted. He patted her back and held her tight; an unspoken promise of his continuous support from that day onwards.

"She asked me to forgive her for l-leaving me behind. She asked me to...always...b-believe in myself. " Mai sobbed as Lin shushed her gently.

"She'd be so proud of you, Mai." He said gently as he himself tried not to think what the last moments of his sister had been like. It took a while before Mai truly calmed down after which she sat quietly leaning against side, with him holding her with an arm around her shoulders.

"Sorry," Mai began, her voice croaky due to the crying," the last of the visions are... very painful."

Lin shook his head. " It's okay, just know that from now you can come to me whenever you are upset, even it is the smallest of things. I don't want you to go through it alone."

Mai muttered a thanks before closing her eyes and clearing her mind; a lot had happened that day and she could now feel the waves of exhaustion coming on. Suddenly, she remembered why she had come to the bed and after pulling away from Lin slightly, she slipped her hand under the pillow and pulled out an old, green notebook. "This is mama's diary. I wanted to show it to you but...yeah."

Lin carefully took the notebook and opened it. He felt a pang at seeing his sister's familiar handwriting. He then realised that some of the writing was in Chinese. "Mai, you can read Chinese?"

"A little bit but only the words in the diary. Otherwise my knowledge of Chinese is limited to a few words; mama would mostly speak in Japanese."

Lin nodded and was about read the first page when his cell phone rang. He gave the diary to Mai and attended the call. " Lin Koujo speaking." He listened to whoever it was on the other side and nodded before thanking them and cutting the call. He then turned to Mai. "They have our result ready. We can go and get them."

 **Author's note: I don't own Ghost Hunt**

 **Thank you all for your reviews**

 **I hope you like the fourth chapter. I felt it was more of a filler than an actual chapter.**

 **Anyways, some good news for you, the fifth chapter is exceptionally long so and there were loads of moments where I found myself grinning or chuckling to myself as I wrote it so, look forward to it people.**

 **Bad news however, I will be travelling for 15 days approx. and so will not be able to update. Please bear with me people. I do not intend to give up on this story for I have been planning it for a REALLY long time however, as I will be preparing for exams and stuff, I won't update as frequently. I shall try for I know the feeling of hoping that your favourite fanfic get updated.**

 **Thank you for your support.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note: I do not own Ghost Hunt**

 **Here is the fifth chapter people. I do not know if I will be able to post the sixth one soon, as I will be travelling, so please be patient with me.**

 **Something happened to the formatting of my Word towards the end of the document but it is still perfectly understandable.**

 **Thank you for the reviews.**

Chapter 5: Shopping

It was only seven in the morning and Lin found himself in a predicament; he wanted to take Mai shopping but had no idea how to do so without appearing as an over enthusiastic and pushy adult (somewhat like Madoka or Luella). He knew he needed, and wanted, to do this but at the thought of shopping he couldn't help the mental images of him acting like Luella.

It had been two weeks since Mai had moved in and the thought had ingrained itself in his brain ever since he saw the amount of boxes she had that held clothes. With the aid of the DNA test he had easily acquired guardianship for Mai and had a passport made for her. He had also sent an official notification to BSPR about his familial matters. Luella had been overjoyed and had him arrange a video call through which she could meet Mai, after all he had been with the professors a really long time and they considered him family.

The move had been easy and since then both Mai and him had learnt a lot about each other. Lin learnt that Mai was actually a quiet person at home. The first day after the move, Lin had thought that now that Mai was living with him, his apartment would be...noisier (something Naru was also concerned about. "Here goes my peace and quiet." he had said) but he had found no difference. So, when they were having dinner that night, he told her to be herself and not worry about disturbing him; he had felt she was holding back due to being unsure of how to act around him. Her answer had surprised him. She had said that that was how she usually was at home because if she was too loud her neighbours at the apartment complex would complain and because she didn't have anyone at home to be loud and noisy for. She had then went on to add that because she lived with silence, she liked being noisy sometimes, like in the office or at school as she didn't like the quiet all the time. It reminded her too much of her situation.

Lin also learnt that Mai was an excellent cook. When her stuff had been brought in to his apartment, a luxurious two bedroom apartment with a large kitchen, lounge and balcony, half the boxes contained cooking utensils and items. She explained that she loved cooking and liked making new dishes. She, on the other hand, had been surprised to find that most of the cupboards in Lin's kitchen were empty and the ones that were full held non-perishable items like canned food . He explained that neither Naru or him were experts at cooking (Mai had giggled here)so they mostly ate take-outs or easy to heat items. Mai had then taken charge of the kitchen by keeping all the canned food in the bottom corner cupboard and placing her things in the other and declared that she would cook for them from now on, as it was not healthy to live off on take-out food, and after eating the stew and rice she made that evening for dinner, he easily accepted. Even Naru did not argue with the change in arrangements.

Lastly, and most surprisingly, Lin learnt that Mai woke up _early_ in the mornings. He could not comprehend how she could wake up that early and still be late for work on weekends. She had then explained that the land lady of the apartment complex she had lived in was rather old, so Mai took it upon herself to make her lunch and do her laundry before she left for work or school. This had increased the respect he held for the girl several times over. When he asked Mai about what the old woman would do now, Mai had said that the old woman had called her niece, who was working in the next city, to come and live with her when she had learnt that Mai intended to move out. Mai, however, surprised him further by revealing that when she had cooked dinner for them the previous night, she had made extra so she could give the food to the old woman on her way to school.

Mai, in turn, learnt that he, Lin, lived in a western two bedroom apartment, so it wasn't just spacious. It was luxurious and classy as well. The main door opened to a wide hallway, which led to a large lounge, with a store room on the right. The entire left side of the lounge was an open kitchen, with a dining table at its centre and only a counter separating it from the lounge. The apartment had dark wood flooring and the counters of the kitchen were made of marble. The wall adjacent to the kitchen had a door leading to a bedroom, which was Lin's, and a small balcony behind glass doors. The wall opposite the kitchen had another bedroom, which was given to Mai. Both bedrooms had their own attached bathrooms and had their own air conditioner units. The lounge contained a white sofa set which faced a large plasma screened TV.

Mai also learnt that he, Lin, could play the violin. He had been showing her around the apartment when she had spotted his violin on a chester drawer set and asked if he played. When he had answered in the positive, she had asked, rather timidly, if she could listen to him. So, after dinner that night, he played a piece, with her and Naru as his audience. When he had finished, Mai had stood up and clapped for him while Naru had ignored the both of them and read his book.

When Mai had seen the set of DVDs in the rack beside the TV, she learnt that Lin enjoyed watching classic movies. Because she herself only watched movies that came on TV and seldom visited the cinema, Mai had asked Lin if they could have a family movie night on Saturday evenings as Sunday was the only day that Naru let them off work. He had obliged and found that it was fun to watch a movie with someone else and that he immensely enjoyed the discussion that followed afterwards. On the first movie night it had only been Mai and him. After the movie she had told him that she felt guilty as it was Lin's duty to watch over Naru so he, Lin, probably spent the evenings at Naru's place, but now that she had made a selfish request, he couldn't do what he wanted. Lin had then calmly told her that he did not spend _every_ moment with Naru and that he actually watched movies over the weekend. He had also added that Naru was welcome to join them anytime, he just didn't like watching movies that much. Mai had then said that since Naru was like family to Lin, she would make sure that he came the next time round, and true to her word, Naru did come. When Lin later asked Mai how she had convinced Naru, she told him that she had told Naru that they were going to watch a horror movie with ghost hunters and the like. Lin highly doubted that that was the reason he came and thought that, judging by how many times he had caught Naru glancing at Mai that night, that it was the boys growing feelings towards his niece that had brought him there.

Lastly, Mai learnt that if anyone could order Naru around (in Japan at least), it would be her uncle. Since Lin was Naru's guardian of sorts as well, Naru spent a lot of time at Lin's place, since they ate dinner together, despite Naru having his own apartment across from Lin's. This meant that Mai would be spending an immense amount of time with Naru as well, not just at work but outside of work too. Lin knew that Naru had a habit of teasing Mai and enjoyed ordering her around because it would get a rise out of her. Therefore, he had decided that if he ever felt that Naru was being too much, he would personally put a stop to it. Such a thing finally happened when Mai had been doing her homework in the lounge when Naru came in as he usually did for dinner. Lin had taken one look at his eyes and the smirk on his face when he saw Mai, and had known that Naru was going to annoy her. As if on cue, Naru opened his mouth and ordered Mai to give him tea. Before Mai could even have opened her mouth to reply, Lin had glared at Naru and said in a dangerously calm voice that if he, Naru, had wanted tea, he could go and make it himself unless he asked Mai politely. Naru had gotten the message immediately and after a heavy silence, in which Mai had stared awestruck at Lin and Naru, had asked Mai, _politely,_ if he could have tea.

Lin sighed as he glanced at his niece's bedroom door. She was still asleep but he only had about half an hour more before she would be up and about and he needed a way to get her to go shopping with him without him appearing out of character and without her refusing, because he knew she would. She was a very selfless person, so he knew she would not accept something like this.

Making up his mind, Lin decided to ask the only other person who he thought was reasonable; Naru. Getting up from the sofa, he quietly walked out of his apartment, crossed the hallway and knocked on the door across from his. He knew Naru was up; his shiki had alerted him. The door opened a few minutes later to reveal a glaring Naru in his blue pyjamas and black night gown.

"What is it?" That was Naru; no greetings and straight to the point. Living with Mai, Lin could now see how rude it felt.

"You know you could invite me in." Lin replied in greeting. When Naru continued to glare at him he added," I wanted to talk to you."

Naru finally moved out of the doorway, letting Lin in. Lin walked into the apartment that looked exactly like his, except now his was a lot more personalised with the arrival of Mai, and sat on the sofa.

"Is this about a case or has mother called you to ask me to call her?" Naru asked as he sank into the adjacent sofa.

"Neither." Lin paused, not sure how to explain the issue.

"If it's neither then why are you here so early Lin?"

Lin decided that with Naru this annoyed in the morning, it would be better to just be direct, like him. " I want to take Mai shopping."

Naru stared at him for a minute before dead panning, "So? Take her."

"She will refuse if I tell her and if I don't and force her... let's just say I'd rather not be your mother."

Naru was silent before he smirked. Lin glared at him in warning to not mock him. Unfazed, Naru stated, "You don't know what to do once you take her to the mall do you?"

Lin glared at him for a full minute before sighing and closing his eyes. "No, not really."

When he opened his eyes, Lin found that Naru was still smirking and the amusement was clearly visible in his eyes. "Just take her to a store, give her a bunch of clothes and threaten her that if she doesn't take them, you'll cut her pay."

"Naru, that's something that _only_ you would do." Lin sighed, exasperated at his ward's insensitivity.

"You came to _me_ , Lin. I'm telling you what I'd do."

"I'm being serious, Noll."

There was silence for a few minutes before Lin looked at the main door.

"Is she coming here?" Naru asked.

"No, but she is awake."

There was another silence, in which both geniuses of their time tried to think of an inconspicuous way of taking an eighteen year old girl shopping. Finally, Naru broke the silence," Why don't you say it's for missing eighteen of her birthdays and leave no room for argument. You have taken custody of her financial matters haven't you?"

Lin nodded and pondered over this idea before accepting it as the best route forward. He then had another idea. "Noll, will you come as well?"

The ferocity of the glare that Naru directed at Lin _nearly_ made him drop the subject. _Nearly_. "I will write a positive report about you to the professors for the next three months and tell your mother that you are being nice to Mai, so she can get off your back about helping her settle in."

"She wouldn't be on my back if you hadn't babbled in the first place." Naru hissed.

However, Lin held his gaze and silently asked the question again. Naru glared at him but Lin could see that he was thinking the offer over. After a considerably long time, he uttered a barely audible "Fine" and walked in to his room, closing the door behind him. Lin grinned before getting up.

"Breakfast will be ready in half an hour. We will leave after that."

Breakfast was a quiet affair with a confused Mai glancing at an annoyed Naru, who was mutinously glaring at Lin, to an indifferent Lin. Her attempts at conversation were useless towards Naru, although Lin replied normally. When breakfast was finally over and the dishes cleaned, Lin set his plan in motion."Mai, there were some things that we-" Naru's glare became fiercer, if possible-" needed to buy and I was hoping you would accompany us."

Mai brightened up immediately. "Of course! I needed to buy a few things too. When are you guys leaving? "

Lin smiled slightly before replying. "About now."

Mai nodded and quickly went to her room. "Let me get my purse and then I'm good to go."

Naru huffed and headed out the door. Lin waited for Mai and followed her out, locking the door behind him. The drive to the nearest mall was, again, quiet. When they got out after parking, Mai turned to Lin.

" Do you want to meet back here in an hour ?"

Lin shook his head. "I'll need your help in picking some of the items. We can buy what you need after that."

Mai nodded and pulled the long strap of her purse over her head so that the strap was across her chest and the bag itself to her side. They entered the mall and Lin felt Mai stiffen beside him. He turned to look at her to find her fidgeting with the strap of her bag. Naru, noticing their pause, looked at her as well.

"Is everything okay, Mai?" Lin asked.

" People are staring." She replied uneasily.

The two men glanced around and found that, indeed, people were staring at them as they passed them by. Naru turned back to her and said, "People will always stare, Mai. They don't realise it's rude. They just can't get enough of my handsome face."

This seemed to have struck a nerve with Mai as she glared at Naru, forgetting her nervousness, and reprimanded him. "Not everyone loves staring at your face you narcissistic jerk! You are so full of yourself sometimes that it's sickening!"

Lin realised that by riling up Mai, Naru had managed to distract her from the stares they were getting. Hiding his smile, he put a comforting hand on Mai's shoulder and said, "Mai, you know you can't reason with him. Just leave him be. We have work to do."

Mai glared at Naru a moment longer before moving on with Lin. They walked deeper into the mall, surrounded by people going in and out of shops and their chatter. They arrived at a departmental store, but before Mai could pass it, Lin put an arm around her shoulders and guided her in. Once inside, he did not let go and steered Mai towards the ladies clothing section. Before Mai could gather her bearings and ask what they were doing, Lin grabbed the nearest clothing item, an off-white dress, shoved it in Mai's hands ,pushed her into a changing room and closed the door.

A moment later Mai's muffled voice was heard from the changing room. " Shūshu, what are you doing? What am I supposed to do?"

"I think it's obvious Mai, even you should know. Lin wants you to try on that dress." Naru spoke dryly while aiming a smirk at Lin. He then said to Lin, "This is your brilliant plan? Congratulations, you have acted exactly like my mother."

The door to the changing room opened, revealing a confused Mai still holding on to the dress. " Shūshu?"

Lin sighed. This was not going well. Deciding to come clean, he put his hands on Mai's shoulders and spoke in a quiet voice. "I wanted to take you shopping and buy you things. Forgive me, for I have never done this sort of thing."

Mai tilted her head to one side and replied, looking up at her tall uncle."You do not need to do this, shūshu. I already have everything I need."

Lin shook his head. "I want to do this, Mai. I feel as I must do this, at least to make up for the years of your life I have missed."

" Shūshu, you have done more than I could ever ask for. You have given me a new home. You take care of my school fees and you even refuse to let me pay for the grocery and most of all, you are there for me. That's everything I could ask for."

"Then will you do this for me?" Lin asked, placing a hand on her head. "Take it as eighteen years of birthday presents." Naru coughed . "Do it so I can put my conscience to rest, little one."

The last words seemed to have done the trick as Mai's eyes widened and then became slightly watery. She stared at Lin then nodded and went back into the changing room. Lin straightened up and sighed in relief. Now that that was out of the way, he looked around the nearest shelves and selected a _few_ items and placed them in a basket. He wasn't that worried about getting the wrong size; as Mai was so thin, he just picked the smallest size on the rack.

Naru cleared his throat as he leaned against the wall adjacent to the changing rooms. " _I must say, that was something. If mother saw you, she would be pleased very much_." He had spoken in English, presumably to avoid Mai from understanding.

Lin scowled slightly before replying, in English as well. " _Shut up, Noll._ "

"You know, I can understand what you guys are saying. I may not speak English but I can understand it. I have been studying it for the past three years." Mai's muffled voice came through the changing room before the door opened and Mai stepped out. The dress fit her perfectly. It was like a fitted dress shirt from the top, with three quarter sleeves that ended with cuffs and gold buttons down the front to the waist line. There was a brown belt at the waist and underneath that, the dress flared out till Mai's knees.

Lin, who had been busy placing more items into his basket, looked up and smiled slightly. He had not expected the first item he had picked up to fit this well. He walked towards Mai and was about to compliment her when he saw something that Mai had missed while she was fixing the sleeves of the dress; Naru was _staring_ at her. He was openly staring at her and from the way his lips were slightly parted, Lin could tell that he had been caught off guard from the surprise of seeing her so dressed up. However, it was his gaze that surprised Lin. His gaze was so soft, so gentle that it was as if he was looking at something incredibly delicate, committing it to memory, because touching it might break it or make it disappear.

Mai seemed to have felt Naru's gaze because she looked towards him. Lin watched silently as their eyes met; as Mai blushed; as Naru ruined the moment (and saved his dignity) by smirking and as Mai stuck her tongue out at him before crossing her arms and huffing. When Lin cleared his throat to get her attention, she jumped slightly and Naru's head snapped towards him; they had both forgotten that he had been present.

"You look wonderful Mai. We will be taking that." Lin told her with a small smile before giving her the filled basket in his hand. "Now, go and try these."

Mai's eyes nearly bulged at the amount of clothes in the basket but Lin turned her around and gently pushed her into the changing room.

An hour and a half later found the three loading the trunk of Lin's car with dozens of bags of shopping. After selecting the clothes to be bought, Lin had taken Mai to the shoes section but Mai had put her foot down and refused to buy shoes. When Lin had tried to convince her, she had relented to buying a single pair; a pair of black ballet flats with a small black bow at the front. Her reasoning was that they were stylish enough to be worn for special occasions and sombre enough to be worn in the office, thus complimenting most of the outfits Lin was buying for her.

As they finished loading up the car, Mai leaned against its side, exhausted from changing clothes so many times." I think I need a break."

Lin checked his watch before saying," How about we buy the things that you need, then take a tea break in a cafe here?"

Mai considered this and nodded. "Sure." Then she turned to Naru and asked," What do you think?"

Naru shrugged, feigning indifference, but Lin could tell that the idea of tea appealed to him too. So with that decided, the trio headed up to the stationary shop that Mai wanted to go to on the third floor of the multi-storey shopping complex. This area of the mall was relatively quieter and less crowded and once inside the shop they were greeted by a much needed silence; they had still been stared at on their way to the shop. Mai headed to the art section and Naru to the science one, while Lin remembered that he needed to buy toners for the printer in his office.

As he put his toners in a small trolley, he felt his shiki buzz around him. He looked towards Mai's direction to find her standing at a wall with paints, brushes and other art items hanging on it, staring indecisively between a pack of paints and a pack of, what appeared to be, pencils. He watched as her hand went towards the pencils before quickly changing course, picking up the pack of paints and hurrying away from the wall. He watched the girl head towards the cashier before heading to the wall she had been looking at and picking up the pencils she had abandoned.

He felt Naru approach and stand next to him. When he looked at the young man, Naru looked at the pencils before pointedly looking at Mai, who was bagging her purchases. The message was clear; _buy it for her._ For the smallest of moments, Lin considered _not_ buying the sketch charcoal pencils, so that Naru would buy them for Mai, but alas, his senses returned and he placed the little packet in his trolley; it would not do to upset Naru after forcing him to go shopping, of all things. He could always get back at him by _accidentally_ letting Luella know that Naru had gone shopping with Mai. Yes, that would do nicely.

Lin paid for his items, bagged them and joined Naru and Mai, who had been waiting for him by the door. They walked out in silence but stopped by the escalators as Mai asked them where they wanted to drink tea. Naru's response had been "anywhere drinkable". So, rolling her eyes, Mai had led them further upstairs to a quaint little cafe at the end of a corridor, by the glass wall overlooking the streets below. They had settled in a table at the back, with all their bags on one chair. Lin and Naru perused the menu while Mai looked at the dessert advertisement on the table. When the waiter arrived, Mai ordered a mixed berry smoothie, while Lin ordered chinese herbal tea and Naru, earl grey.

"You seem familiar with the place, Mai." Lin said, as they waited for their orders to arrive.

Mai nodded. " My friends and I used to come here every other week, just to hang out. We couldn't meet up as much as we used to because of my job so every other week, Michiru and Keiko would drag me here and ask me to tell them 'ghost stories'."

"Don't tell me you have been babbling about our cases and personal client information to your friends Mai." Naru poked at her.

Mai huffed. "They are just ghost stories to them, Naru. Besides, the stories we share stay between us. Even if we 'babbled', narcissist, people in my class would think us crazy. Why do you think we were in an empty and desolate room, telling ghost stories, when we first met?"

Naru leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms across his chest. " I don't know, but a group of teenage girls can only amount to trouble."

Mai glared at him but realised what he had said. "You _don't_ know? _You don't know?_ Shūshu, I heard him right, right? Naru, the narcissist, just said that he _doesn't know!_ And here I thought that you were a brilliant scientist, idiot scientist."

" I don't know everything, idiot. What I do know, though, happens to be more than what you know."

Mai pouted but accepted that she could not argue any further; she would only end up embarrassing herself. She had not kept the fact that she could see Gene, Naru's dead twin brother, in her dreams, a secret, that was why she could use Naru's other nickname easily. Lin and Naru were both aware of it but they had decided against telling the professors about it. It would unsettle them to know that their late son still hadn't moved on, despite how Naru had, potentially, risked his life to find Gene's body and take it back home, to be laid to rest. Mai usually met Gene during cases and the durations of these meetings varied, depending on how much energy Gene or Mai had.

Apparently deciding to drop the current discussion, Mai took her bag from the extra chair and fished out her handy sketchpad and pencil and started working on the sketch of her friend Michiru, which she had started yesterday, after dinner. Lin leaned towards her to get a better look before asking," Have you finished the one you made before we went to the cemetery?"

Lin could see, quite clearly, that Naru was _very_ interested in what Mai was doing and what he was talking about. Lin sighed quietly; the boy hadn't been paying enough attention to Mai to know of her artistic talents. On the other hand, and if he be fair, neither had he been doing so, not until two weeks ago, when Mai became one of the most important people and priorities in his life. Mai nodded enthusiastically before flipping back a couple of pages and handing the sketch pad to Lin.

The portrait looked nearly life-like with the details added in and Lin couldn't help but smile. He also couldn't help but notice how Naru had shifted in his seat to see the sketchpad and how Naru's eyes had widened at the image. Turning his attention back to his expectant niece, Lin said, "It's turned out beautiful, Mai. Keep up the good work."

Mai positively beamed before taking back the sketchpad. Naru's eyes followed the sketchpad but before he could ask about it, the waiter arrived with their orders and Mai put the pad back in her bag. Lin tasted his tea and found it to be very pleasant. Naru drank his quietly, not making any comments, while Mai sipped her smoothie happily, looking out the window, watching the cars go by, down on the street. However, as she turned back to look at them, Lin noticed her eyes widening before she choked on her smoothie and started coughing. At once, both men thumped her back and Naru went to the counter and demanded a glass of water. Lin continued to pat her back as she coughed and took the glass of water from Naru, when he approached them, and put it to her lips. Her hands enclosed around it and she took a long drink out of it. When she finished drinking, she took three deep breaths.

"Are you alright?" Lin asked her. She nodded.

"Pay attention to what you're doing, idiot." Naru chided, but Mai ignored him and turned to Lin, her brown eyes wide with curiosity.

"Do you have a shiki that looks like a small white dragon?"

Lin's eyes widened at this sudden question. He glanced at his left shoulder, where his shiki was floating, before looking back at Mai. "Can you see him?"

"I did for a moment, but now I can't. I know he is there though." Here Mai pointed at Lin's left shoulder. " I've been feeling them around me since I turned eighteen. I feel them at the office, in the car, at home and in school too now."

Lin had three shiki; spirits who were bound to do his bidding through mutual agreement and contract. Feng, the white dragon spirit that Mai had seen, was his family's shiki. He had become Lins' when Rinne had been taken, as she had not formed a contract with him and was, therefore, Lins' first shiki. Lin's other shiki included Seki, a blue dragon spirit, who Lin had saved from a horde of lost spirits during his search for Rinne, and Sen, a red dragon spirit who Lin had met during his visit to China, four years ago. Sen was, therefore, the youngest bound spirit he had, which often lead to disagreements between him and Feng, as Feng followed certain rules of conduct for bound spirits, being a bound spirit for so long, which Sen disregarded.

"Who you saw was Feng; a family shiki. I have asked him to watch over you when I am unable to. That would explain his presence in places where I am not."

Mai nodded at this and stared at his shoulder a moment longer before turning back to her smoothie. She was about to resume drinking it when she suddenly cried out, dropped the smoothie and clutched her head with both her hands. Her body was tense as she doubled over, her head nearly touching her knees. Both men moved instantaneously; Naru kneeled next to her while Lin sat on his knees in front of her.

"What's wrong Mai?" Lin asked her while trying to pry her hands away from her head to see her face. When her only response was to groan in pain, Lin placed both his hands atop hers and said in a gentle, calm, yet slightly commanding tone, "Tell me what is wrong Mai? Please, look at me."

Slowly, Mai raised her head to reveal tears at the corners of her eyes. "There are so many spirits here." Her voice was but a whisper, filled with pain. " I can feel them around me. I can _feel_ what they are feeling right now and-Oh!" She faltered and whimpered before pressing her lips together to stop any further sound.

Lin took a deep breath to calm down; panicking was not going to help anyone. His mind was racing. He had not expected Mai's powers to burst out like this. Obviously, she was inexperienced in dealing with spirits like this because she could only feel them momentarily, with the exception of his shiki, apparently, and that too was on cases. Having to suddenly feel the emotions of all the spirits around them in the complex (there were quite a few, according to his shiki)must not be only taxing mentally but physically as well and for an emotional person like Mai, the emotional effect would most likely be doubled.

She did not know how to meditate so he, Lin, would have to calm her down another way. He placed his hand atop her head and spoke gently, "I want you to focus on my voice Mai. I want you to try and ignore everything but my voice. Do you understand?"

Mai gave a weak nod, signalling Lin to continue.

"I want you to imagine yourself in a square room with four doors; one on each side. Can you see it?"

Lin watched as Mai's brow furrowed and she gave a weak nod. From the corner of his eyes he noticed Naru heading to the counter, presumably to pay for their drinks. He also noticed that they were attracting quite a lot of attention but ignored this; Mais' need was greater than worrying about attention.

"What you are feeling right now are not your emotions, Mai. They may feel as your own but you need to separate them from yourself. I want you to focus on _your_ emotions. What are _you_ feeling right now? Focus on an emotion that you feel easily. Focus on something happy."

Mai's brow further furrowed and she wrapped her arms around herself, her hands clutching the fabric of her shirt. After a moment she nodded again.

"Now, I want you to imagine all the extra emotions as noise, like the noise here in the mall. Imagine this noise coming from the doors around you. Once that is done, you know how to shut out the sound, Mai. Shut the doors."

Lin waited with baited breath. This was the most difficult part. Converting something that was present in the physical or spiritual plane into a mental image, to manipulate it, was not easy. It required focus and familiarity. Whatever was being converted, or manipulated, needed to be pictured as something familiar so it could be imagined easily and manipulated. He had chosen noise to represent the surge of emotions as it was present around them and something Mai could easily relate to and, hence, picture it.

He watched as Mai's body slowly relaxed before she sat up, breathing deeply. Despite the tears running down her face, she gave him a weak smile. He stood up and patted her head.

"I think it's time we head home. After you rest, I will teach you meditation, to better prepare you, should your powers surge again."

Mai nodded and gathered her things. As she stood up, she swayed slightly, but before Lin could grab her, to steady her, Naru appeared at her side and held her by her arms to keep her upright. Mai blushed ever so slightly and mumbled a thank you while Naru turned to glare at Lin.

" I agree with you Lin, but while she rests, you have to explain what just happened."

Lin sighed.


End file.
